What story can YOU tell from this photo?

iPhone video made with Animoto!

Weekend at Grandmas

http://animoto.com/play/gEbRNYw12UWqCEKzL1oTlg

If you like it, why don't you try creating one yourself? You can get our app (for free!) in the app store with your iPhone, or in a regular web browser just head here:

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Thanks,
The ANIMOTO Team

What a face!!

Kiki's P page

Kiki's Kinder Homework....she took the P pictures herself...

Friday Night Fun

Sitting on the beach....roasting marshmallows with the kids and the
grandparents. What else could one ask for?

Learning in the Lab

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

This was fun for a long time tonight....and 100 pictures later....we took some of the best and made this video. We actually were trying to imitate Aunt Cindee's sunburn look after forgetting the sunscreen on her glacier trip....

Pose!

We all piled in the car Saturday morning and headed for the beach. The
kids ended up having a ton of fun between the swimming, driving Speedy
Gonzales, the golf cart, and eating S'Mores...

We slept in the trailer through all the rain, and woke around 6:30
this morning. Connor exclaimed, "that was the best night's sleep I've
had in a long time".

It's not too often I can get all 5 kids to look at the camera at the
same time...especially when they're playing and burning off all that
sugar from the yummy s'mores!

Rain, wind and lots of SAND

Oh the joys of Crystal Beach since Hurricane Ike. When it blows, the
sand all relocates....again.

Update on the Orange Wall

Well, I guess you can see that I found something to hang on my wall, that still looks great as a backdrop when I'm Skyping! I actually stole this idea from a good friend....that and 50% off at Hobby Lobby made my decision pretty easy!

The Orange Wall

So, I painted one wall in my house orange. Not really bright, but by some standards, certainly not a color many would choose. I however LOVE orange. And I love orange in combination with other colors....yellow...the right shades of green and sometimes red.

It's been nearly 6 months since I did this, and have been hunting for just the right picture to hang on my orange wall. I've yet to find one, and after last night? Not sure that I'm going to.
Why? Because it makes an AWESOME backdrop when video conferencing and or using Skype. Wow. It's almost magical. What do you think?

Lost and Found

I've been challenged to clean up my files at work...and in doing so, found a blast from the semi-recent past. I wanted to post it here, so that I could remember that 5 years ago, Tyler graduated from high school....wow! How time flies. I love you Ty!

Kiki Loves her Kitty

The day we got home from Alaska after being gone for so long, Kiki
spent some quality time with her kitty, Oreo.

She used her teddy bear clothes and dressed him up (in this lovely
ensemble) and then put him in her dolly stroller and strolled him
about the house....

Funny thing is....I thought to myself "How cute! I should take a
picture", but was too tired...and have berated myself several times
since then. Today I was going to do a test upload to my MobileMe
account, and lo and behold found quite a few pictures taken by Kiki
herself!!!

I truly think this child loves my iPhone more than I do! You go girl!
To be 5 and so tech savvy!! What more could a mother ask for???

Portage Glacier

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Scenery on the way to Portage Glacier

DSC_0332
Originally uploaded by nibbuccms.

We went to Portage Glacier today...more pics later.

Ashlynn's Staycation

Clucking Theodore on Mandolin and Guitar

For a larger version of this FUN video, click here.

Eagle River Nature Center

We hiked around the Eagle River Nature Center yesterday...here are some photos.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Summer...and Temperature..It's all Relative

We went back to Goose Lake yesterday...and lo and behold there was a school load of kids there all wearing swimming attire. What did I have on? A tank top....and then TWO sweatshirts over that. The difference here is that these kiddos are from Alaska....and I'm now acclimated to Texas 100 degree heat.

The kids were doing all the same things we would do if we were to visit the beach...creating sand sculptures, swimming with BIKINIS on...and feeding the wildlife (slugs in the water and ducks on the land).

During the mid afternoon an older couple came with a blanket, two lawn chairs, and various and other beach going accouterments. They positioned themselves farther down the lakeside, spread out their blanket, and proceeded to take off their shoes, and roll up their pant legs, all the while keeping every other part of their body covered with sweaters and jackets. So I know it wasn't just me...however, they sat in their lawn chairs, with their lower legs exposed and leisurely read their books. It was kind of cute.

What this all means is that it's SUMMER in Anchorage! Get outside while you can! Wear those summer clothes! Go swimming! Oh how well I remember coming to Anchorage in the spring and wearing sleevless shirts and shorts (and shivering).

So...summer and temperature are all relative. Anchorage is enjoying their summer, albeit a little cold by Texas standards...as I remain dressed for winter ( Texas style).

Who says man cannot live by bread alone?

Today we went back into Anchorage to take Kylee back to Goose Lake Park...that was the guise anyway! The real guise was to go back to the Great Harvest Bread Company. Cindee took us there on Friday, touting it's greatness, and hence we brought home three huge loaves of bread, which we finished consuming today. So...we NEEDED more. I've you've ever been to a Great Harvest Bread Store you'll know what I'm talking about.

Great Harvest, as you may know, has one of the great marketing ploys known to man. They to ask you which bread you'd like to try, and then they cut off a great big hunk and shove the butter at you. So, as you're munching you're also buying...pretty effective I'd say.

As we were happily munching...we too here happily buying (7 loaves!). Cindee was protecting her loaf of cinnamon roll bread, as was Kylee. Layni bought Chugach Rustic, a very tasty sourdough, and me? Just your average Honey White.

As we arrived home, I decided to put two loaves into the freezer to put in my suitcase to take back to Texas..YUM! And then thought to myself..."I wonder if Great Harvest has a website?"

Lo and behold not only does Great Harvest have a web presence, they are a CHAIN!

My sister is totally against patronizing any business that's a chain. We haven't been able to eat at any chain restaurant...or shop at any store that is not locally owned. In fact, Kylee was begging to go to Wal-Mart today...and Cindee said NO!

The look on my sister's face when I announced that news!! We had been patronizing a store she thought was a local legend! Poor Cindee.

Oh well. Chain or no chain. Great Harvest Bread Company has my vote. (TEE HEE! We got one over on Cindee!)